(06-16-2018, 08:37 PM)Mattias Westlund Wrote: What you say about regrets is exactly what I mean -- it would bug me forever if I rushed the release and wasn't happy with the album as a result, while knowing that I could have spent a few more weeks on it and gotten it the way I wanted it. I can live with flaws if I'm doing commissioned work and there's a deadline, because in that case I'll know I did my best with the time I had at my disposal. If an album that I'm doing in my own free time is going to be flawed (which it will likely be in some ways no matter how much time I spend on it), I want the flaws to be due to my shortcomings as a composer and mixing engineer, not because I was struggling to meet a completely artificial deadline. Just like with WoR I set a deadline for Lore mainly to prevent myself from tinkering forever, but on WoR I had to work my ass off the last couple of weeks and that was not a pleasant experience. I just felt that as this isn't a commissioned project, I have much more leeway as far as the time frame is concerned, so why not just let it take the time it takes. I'm not going to go GRRM on the album -- it's done, musically, but the tweaking/polishing bit is only maybe at 50% or so -- so "later this summer" is completely realistic.
I have yet to do any commissioned work, so I know all about the artificial deadlines of personal projects. It's still important to set some goals for yourself and be able to say "done!" when the time comes, or you risk "pittling the painting to death," as Bob Ross would say. As you point out, there will be some things that you will notice after the fact, but they won't be regrets so much as things you can learn and grow from.
(06-17-2018, 08:38 PM)Viktor Wrote:(06-16-2018, 08:37 PM)Mattias Westlund Wrote: On a related note, I took maybe a month's break from the album earlier this year (which is probably why I'm in this situation right now), because I was completely stuck. I reached a point where I'd listened to the unfinished tracks so many times while trying to figure out where to go with them that they became cemented in my mind. I don't know if this is an issue for anyone else but it definitely is for me sometimes. It doesn't matter if I know that a track is only half-finished -- listen to it enough times and that half-finishedness sort of becomes the way it's "supposed" to sound like and it's very difficult to imagine it sounding any other way. When that happens I need to back away until my brain can hear the potential of the tune again, which is frustrating but completely necessary at times.
Totally relatable. I was getting really frustrated earlier in my life about that, but now I know, I could be just way more productive with another piece of music in that time. I think of time being productive not just about the time that I work actively on it, but also the time I'll let it grow unconsciously in the back of my brain. The good thing about this kind of breaks, that they can be very freeing, cause you can loose up a bit and work on other things and gain new perspectives. The hard thing is just to catch the point were its best to move onto something else for a while.
Anyway take your time, I'm really looking forward to the album, I listened to the previews for a while, when they were still opened, really good stuff!
Totally agree here. There is always something else you can do to stay productive, especially when you're working on a personal project like an album or something. I often try to use the dead spots in my creativity to explore new ideas or educate myself on technical matters, practice, and learn about composing for different instruments. But as for everyone there are plenty of times where just stepping away from the desk altogether can be the best remedy for burn-out.
